Question and Answer

"Teacher, isn't this school a bit too concerned about its students?" Ryuen said, jutting his chin toward the surveillance camera at the front of the classroom.

Ryuen's words made Sakagami's eyes light up. There was no doubt that Ryuen had realized something; Sakagami already had a guess about Ryuen's next move, which was undoubtedly a violation of school rules, but... that didn't matter.

"Could you please hold off for now?" Sawahara spoke up. "There isn't much time left before the entrance ceremony, and I don't want our class to make a fool of itself. Besides, I have some questions for the teacher. Could you spare the remaining time for me?"

Hearing Sawahara's words, Ryuen swept a sharp gaze toward him, but Sawahara simply met his eyes calmly.

"Hmph, it seems this class isn't entirely filled with idiots." A smile appeared on Ryuen's face; wasn't there a decent pawn right here? "Fine, let's hear what you have to say."

"What on earth are they talking about!"

"What is going on?"

Most of the students in the class were bewildered. First, the delinquent-looking guy sitting in the back row suddenly stood up, not knowing what he was doing, and then he was abruptly interrupted.

As for the girl who had originally intended to ease the tension, she stood there awkwardly, at a loss for what to do.

Sawahara paid no mind to the class's confusion, simply looking at Sakagami calmly.

"You must be Sawahara, right?" Sakagami glanced at Sawahara's seat and quickly confirmed his identity.

"You may ask any questions you like, but I cannot guarantee that I will be able to answer them."

"As I thought." Sawahara nodded. He had already guessed this; if the teacher were allowed to disclose information, Sakagami wouldn't have been acting so suspiciously earlier. However, obtaining information didn't necessarily require a direct answer.

"For the questions I ask next, if there are any you cannot answer, would you please reply with 'I don't know'?"

Sakagami looked at Sawahara with some surprise, followed by a surge of joy in his heart. He had truly struck gold this time.

"I can agree to that."

"Then, the first question: we are currently undergoing an evaluation, aren't we?" Sawahara asked point-blank.

"W-what!"

"An evaluation? We haven't heard anything about that."

"What is this..."

Hearing Sawahara's words, the class instantly descended into chaos. For students, the most sensitive topics are essentially two things: their rooms and their grades. To suddenly learn that they were undergoing an evaluation without their knowledge—it would be a miracle if they weren't completely shocked.

Many looked at Sakagami, hoping to hear a denial, but...

"I don't know." Sakagami hadn't expected the first question to be so heavy-hitting, and his estimation of Sawahara rose another level.

"Are fluctuations in personal points related to this evaluation?" Sawahara continued.

Hearing this, Sakagami immediately understood that Sawahara's questions were actually based on guesses he had already largely confirmed, and he was simply using this opportunity to inform the rest of the class.

So he's using the teacher's status to increase the credibility of the information...

"I don't know."

If the previous question had only left the class stunned, this answer left no one able to remain calm, save for those who had already sensed something.

Sawahara glanced around; there was no doubt that the red-haired boy who had spoken earlier had already realized it, and his desk-mate seemed to have realized it as well.

"Didn't they say one hundred thousand points every month!"

"How could there be fluctuations!"

"How can they do this?"

"This is total fraud!"

The class grew even more agitated. It is human nature to loathe loss and crave gain. They had likely already considered the monthly one hundred thousand points as their own property after hearing Sakagami's earlier words, which was why they were reacting this way now that they knew the points could change.

"Shut up, you idiots." Ryuen propped his legs up on his desk and sneered. "Sakagami said points would be deposited on the first of every month, but he never said it would be one hundred thousand every month. One hundred thousand in pocket money every month—you idiots should think about whether you're even worth that much."

"What did you say, you bastard!" In a class packed with delinquents, there were no shortage of hot-headed individuals. They were already panicked from the conversation between Sawahara and Sakagami, and hearing Ryuen's mockery...

A boy with a buzzcut sitting in the middle of the third row stood up and glared viciously at Ryuen.

"Heh." That was Ryuen's only response.

It was clear that a violent conflict was about to break out between the two, had it not been for the next question.

"Is the content of the evaluation based on our daily conduct? How many points will be deducted for fighting? And how much will our future points be reduced?"

Sawahara asked calmly. He had already guessed the nature of the evaluation; it clearly wasn't a written exam or a sports festival, and since the school had intentionally provided a large sum of points, it was obviously an evaluation of self-discipline. There was no doubt that the class had no advantage in this regard.

"I don't know."

As Sakagami's voice faded, the classroom fell silent. No one knew if speaking now would also result in point deductions, and everyone looked toward the buzzcut boy and the red-haired boy.

Ryuen didn't care about the surrounding gazes; he had never intended to put much effort into the class points from the start, and he even provoked the buzzcut boy again.

However, not everyone could withstand such scrutiny. It was clear the buzzcut boy couldn't; the surrounding stares made sweat bead on his forehead. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to sit down and lose face, leaving him at a loss.

"The two of you should sit down. We still have the entrance ceremony to attend later; you should save your energy." Sawahara spoke at the right moment, giving them both a way out.

"I'll let you off this time." The buzzcut delinquent muttered a threat while seizing the chance to quickly sit back in his seat.

On the other side, the girl who had stood up earlier also breathed a sigh of relief and took the opportunity to sit down, avoiding further embarrassment.

"Last question: not everyone will be granted the right to choose their own career path, right?" Although he was asking, Sawahara's tone was incredibly certain.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the class turned their eyes toward Sakagami.

"Phew, Sawahara-kun, your question really puts me in a difficult spot. I almost thought I was going to have to answer every single question with 'I don't know'." Sakagami let out a long sigh. In truth, he was under a lot of pressure facing Sawahara's questions, because his actions had, in fact, slightly crossed the line.

Teachers are not permitted to disclose the content of evaluations, and during the first month, they are also required to keep the school's rules as confidential as possible, provided the students have not yet discovered them.

His previous behavior, while answering with "I don't know," was effectively dancing back and forth on the edge of that boundary.

This behavior was akin to a teacher specifically highlighting key points before an exam, or perhaps even worse—it could even be considered leaking the test questions.

However, this final question could not be considered a violation. After all, since Sawahara had already deduced this rule himself, the teacher was permitted to provide an answer to the student.

"The school does not guarantee employment for all students; this privilege belongs solely to the students of Class A."

And just like that, on the very first day of school, the students of Class C were struck by a bolt from the blue.